Showdown in New Orleans

The occasion was the 2009 Historic Green spring-break gathering of students and professionals in New Orleans. Organized around the goal of creating “the nation’s first zero-carbon neighborhood,” the annual ten-day event provides assistance in New Orleans’ historic Holy Cross neighborhood to revitalize residents’ homes and neighborhood common spaces. In 2009, Historic Green drew on the support of the 750-plus volunteers —including architects, engineers, planners, landscape architects, interior designers, and contractors—and more than two dozen leading environmental and green-building organizations, including the USGBC and the Salvation Army’s EnviRenew recovery program.